Chapter 172: Forty-Sixth Floor, The World of the Virtuous (5)

Five days passed profitably.

My reserves of gold quickly increased, and by the end of the fifth day, I had acquired forty-one thousand gold. Not bad, though it fell short of my initial goal of fifty thousand gold.

Somewhere along the way, rumors of my “talents” spread. Dealers at other casinos no longer dared to cheat in front of me.

Looking back on my adventures, I thought back to my first day after uncovering the casino’s scam. Seeing no reason to change disguises, I rushed over to another branch and managed to catch them cheating again. The second and third days after, I switched it up slightly, applying the same method twice but with my true appearance. The last day went much the same, although with a different disguise.

Four successful rounds. That should be enough.

The “counter-scamming” led to me pocketing over thirty thousand gold without breaking much of a sweat.

Adding to the money I had extorted from the various branches, I worked with Doppy to cheat at various games—losing a little, then raking in big wins—netting me another ten thousand.

Unfortunately, that was as far as I could push it. The previous mask had been my last, and my intimidation tactics wouldn’t work anymore.

To make matters worse, Doppy didn’t even have the space to support me properly yesterday. The growing surveillance said it all; there were too many eyes and too many whispers.

It was time to walk away.

After all, I was almost guaranteed to top the rankings. Even if someone had hit an improbable jackpot, I would still be in the top three, guaranteeing me a decent reward. In any case, given that the casinos were rigged, I doubted anyone would be able to hit a jackpot.

Taking any more risks wouldn’t be worth it

On the morning of the sixth day, I stepped into a portal and left for another city.

Originally, I had considered walking, but after asking an angel for directions, I found out about the portals linking the cities.

Five hundred gold per transfer. Steep, but manageable.

Given my earnings, the price didn’t sting much.

Although I had already spent twenty-five hundred gold on travel fees alone, it still felt worth it. The alternative would have been to walk twelve hours per city, a total of sixty hours wasted.

Not that I plan to gamble here.

I had moved to another city for a simple reason. Back in the last city, rumors about my winnings had spread fast, and climbers wouldn’t stop hounding me for handouts. Rejecting them over and over grew old very quickly.

Anyway, I now stood in Rekun, and after renewing my transit pass at the portal, I entered a nearby luxury hotel and approached the attendant.

“Welcome! Are you two together?"

“Yes.”

“What kind of room would you prefer? A standard—"

“I'll take a suite," I interrupted, cutting off the angel mid-sentence.

Driven by sheer curiosity, I had purchased a suite in a previous city, and ever since then, I had insisted on reserving nothing less.

The mattresses crafted from angel feathers were simply too heavenly. They were exclusive to suite-level residences, and sleeping on one felt like floating in the vast expanse of space—an indescribably serene sensation.

I intended to track one down and buy it after completing the floor.

“

Ah!

A suite costs three hundred gold per night!"

Instead of offering a verbal response, I simply handed over the gold. The staff member’s smile grew wider as he counted the coins.

“This is my first time seeing an outsider book a suite. You have to be quite well-off!"

“Oh, yes. I earned a bit at the casino.”

“That’s impressive! Here’s your key. Your room is on the seventh floor!"

“Thank you."

Taking the key, I headed upstairs. Once I reached the assigned room, I opened the door, revealing a lavish interior.

After placing Ryun on the chair, I turned to Doppy. “Are you hungry?"

“Uh... a little!"

Hmm. Perhaps we should have eaten first.

On second thought, there hadn’t been a pressing need to reserve the hotel room right away. With Mung-chi handling our belongings, we didn’t have to drop anything off.

Although only a few days had passed, I had fallen into a pattern of resting at the hotel during the day and frequenting the casino at night.

“Let’s wash up first and then grab some breakfast. You go ahead."

“Got it!"

As Doppy disappeared into the bathroom, I collapsed onto the bed. Despite only having slept a little earlier, I felt surprisingly refreshed.

However, days of constant gambling had left me mentally exhausted; there was no denying its addictive qualities. I could see why people became consumed by it.

Though, in my case, it is probably because I only played games I felt confident I could win.

I really needed to quit now. I had already earned more than enough, and Scientist Do’s Composure had already leveled up.

With the suspicion centered on me, loitering around the casino any longer would be pointless. Spend the next day or two hunting—or maybe seeking out hidden missions—to re-energize myself seemed like my best option.

Taking down a fallen angel or a field boss could also be worthwhile.

As I pondered my options, I turned my head and gazed out the window, still lying on the bed. The view of the city, perched above the clouds, was breathtaking.

The more I think about it, the stranger it becomes.

The structure of this world perplexed me, much like an enigma that deepened the longer I observed it. After traveling through several cities over the past few days, I still couldn’t figure out how this world existed and survived.

Every city is a fortress.

There weren’t any farmers, livestock, or hunters. Yet, bread and meat could consistently be found within the city. Even if the climbers supplied the meat, that didn’t explain how the angels procured vegetables or bread.

What exactly are these angels?

When I inspected the angels within the city, the minority worked, while the majority simply wandered aimlessly through the streets. They resembled NPCs from a game.

Wait, a game?

The inability to lie, the climbers who turned to dust and perished when they lied...

Is this world actually a game? Did the tower somehow pull us into it?

I couldn’t be certain. It felt like a leap in logic.

So far, each floor had summoned us to different worlds, each with a divine presence and conflicts. Climbers existed to resolve those conflicts.

There hadn’t been any overt signs of a deity on this floor, but still, that didn’t assure anything.

Ha Hee-Jeong did mention that there is someone who can lie in this world.

That figure was probably the catalyst for future conflicts.

Even Ha Hee-Jeong had said she only uncovered the truth almost ten floors later in her previous life. Originally, we had planned to start searching for that individual on the forty-seventh floor, where the conflict would begin.

Ugh, I have no clue.

Lacking sufficient information, my thoughts wavered, unable to settle on a conclusion. I decided to clear my mind. For all I knew, there could be a city dedicated entirely to farming. Perhaps the angels collected tributes from humans below the clouds.

Moreover, even if this were a game, it wouldn’t change anything. The tower presented climbers with trials, and it was our task to overcome them.

Finding the lying angel and completing the hidden mission would simply be a bonus.

***

Doppy and I strolled along the main avenue. A gentle breeze brushed past us, causing my damp hair to flutter coolly.

Where should we eat breakfast today?

As I pondered, a group of familiar climbers walked across the street from me. Ha Hee-Jeong and I spotted each other almost simultaneously, and I waved at her.

Fully turning toward me, she smiled warmly. Her abrupt movement caught the attention of her party members, who followed her gaze.

“

Huh?

”

“Su-Hyeok hyung!”

“Doppy!”

Seo Ha-Rin and Hakin dashed toward me, their faces lit up excitedly.

I hadn’t known which city their party had entered, but I welcomed the chance encounter.

Seo Ho-Su strode over and pulled me into a hearty embrace. Metal clinking filled the air as our armor collided.

“Su-Hyeok! What the hell? You’ve been here all along?"

“No, I just came over from another city."

“Ah, I see. Still, judging by your complexion, you seem to be doing well."

“Oh, yes. I’ve been doing great. How about you all?"

Each party member chimed in, their voices overlapping.

“I’m not surprised! You’ll do great wherever you go. Oh, yeah, we’ve been managing just fine."

“Yeah! It’s been great!"

With a seasoned regressor like Ha Hee-Jeong, it was no surprise that they hadn’t faced significant trouble.

After greeting me, Seo Ho-Su patted Doppy on the head. “Doppy! How have you been?"

Doppy, who had been chatting with Seo Ha-Rin, waved energetically. “It’s been a while! Good to see you!"

Ryun, curious, asked me, “Are they... your comrades...?"

“Whoa! Who’s this?!"

“This is Ryun, the ent I mentioned before.”

“Oh, the ent swordmaster? Nice to meet you. I’m Seo Ho-Su."

“A pleasure... I’m Ryun..."

His response piqued Seo Ha-Rin and Hakin’s curiosity.

“What is that? Let me see it too!"

“Wow, that’s incredible!"

“Kids... are... exhausting..."

“We’re not kids!"

Laughing, I handed Ryun over to Seo Ha-Rin, ignoring his forlorn expression.

I turned back to Seo Ho-Su. “Where are you heading off to so early? Hunting?"

“Yeah, pretty much. We were planning to grab breakfast first, though."

“Breakfast? That’s perfect. We were just about to eat, too."

“Great! Join us then. We know a fantastic place."

Seo Ho-Su’s confidence assured me that the food had to be exceptional.

After indulging in so much fine cuisine, I couldn’t be sure it would suit my taste, but I couldn’t help feeling a bit excited. Our party had plenty of food enthusiasts, after all.

“Sounds good. Breakfast is on me," I offered.

“

Huh?

You’re treating us? We struck gold!"

“Let’s save the details for when we get to the restaurant.”

“Good idea. Let’s hurry, I’m starving!”

After quickly wrapping up any remaining introductions, I naturally drifted toward the back of the group with Ha Hee-Jeong.

Although we kept slightly away from everyone else, no one paid much attention. We commonly broke off like this, after all.

Ha Hee-Jeong glanced at me, smiling faintly, and asked, “So? Did the casino treat you well?"

“Better than I expected.”

“Oh? How much better?"

Rather than answering, I simply held up four fingers.

“Four thousand? No, wait. Forty thousand?!"

When I nodded, her eyes widened, and she drew in a sharp breath. “Damn, that’s a fortune. To earn that much, weren’t you worried about getting caught?"

“I’ll explain everything once we’re back in the waiting room.”

She glanced surreptitiously at me. “Sounds like there’s more to the story."

I didn’t elaborate. With the agreements I had made, I couldn’t discuss the details with anyone while on the planet.

Not that it mattered, but Ha Hee-Jeong clearly had her suspicions.

“What about you guys? Did you manage to make some money?"

“Yeah. We took down two field bosses and focused on hunting fallen angels. I think we’re sitting at around six thousand gold each."

“

Whew.

You guys were busy."

“Morning to night, nonstop. It’s been exhausting, though.

Ugh.

" Letting out a playful sigh, Ha Hee-Jeong threw her head back in mock fatigue.

“What’s wrong?"

“Well, now that we’ve earned enough, I was thinking about taking the group to the casino tonight. Just, I really don’t know. Gambling’s not exactly a great idea. Maybe we should skip it?"

“Come on, one visit won’t hurt. I’m sure they’ll enjoy it.”

“You think so? I guess you’re right. It’s not like we have to hunt every single day." Nodding slightly, she met my gaze again. “How about the other thing? Any leads?"

“Nothing yet. I can’t just test random angels with only ten uses, and no one has stood out so far."

“That’s okay. We weren’t planning to search until the next floor anyway. We can worry about it once we meet the higher-ranking angels. For now, try not to overthink it."

“Yeah, I’m treating this floor as a bit of a break."

For a moment, neither of us spoke. I searched for a new topic, something to keep the conversation going.

Then, something occurred to me. “By the way, where are you guys staying?"

“Us? Just an inn inside the city walls.”

“Why don’t you and the party stay at my luxury hotel for a couple of nights? My treat."

“A fancy hotel? Nah, we’re fine."

“Why not? The mattress alone is insane. It’s made from angel feathers."

Ha Hee-Jeong shook her head firmly, however. “I’d rather save the money."

“Come on, isn’t six thousand gold enough? With what you’ve earned, everyone in the party is probably in the top ten unless something crazy happens."

“You never know. There are a lot of climbers out there. Someone could’ve hit the jackpot at the casino."

“Seriously?"

I had considered the possibility, too, but it seemed far-fetched. Plus, even if they did, that was still only one climber.

“It’s fine. We already prepaid for a week at the inn. Switching now would just be wasteful. Besides, we’ll need the rest of the gold for the next floor."

“Fair enough. But seriously, the mattress is unbelievable. Once we’re back in the waiting room, you should consider getting one."

Despite my serious tone, Ha Hee-Jeong let out a laugh. “Alright, alright. I’ve never stayed in a luxury hotel here, so maybe I’ll give it a try in the waiting room."

“I’m not exaggerating, it’s—"

Before I could finish, the group came to a sudden halt. I turned to see what had caught their attention.

Seo Ho-Su asked Ha Hee-Jeong, “My sword’s starting to dull. Mind if we stop by a blacksmith before we eat?"

“Oh, sure! Makes sense. We can drop it off first to hopefully save time.” Judging by her tone, it seemed she hadn’t visited a blacksmith in this city before.

“Thanks!”

Seo Ho-Su flagged down a passing angel and asked for directions. “Excuse me, do you know where the blacksmith is?"

The angel, clad in noticeably elegant clothing, politely provided directions.

We resumed walking, but after another ten minutes, Seo Ho-Su came to an abrupt stop and frowned. “What the hell? It’s supposed to be right here. Why can’t I find it?"

Cole suggested, “Should we ask someone else?"

“Yeah, that makes sense.” Seo Ho-Su approached another angel and asked, “Excuse me, miss. I was told there’s a blacksmith around here. Do you know where it is?"

The angel looked genuinely startled. “Here? Are you sure?"

“Yeah, someone told me it was nearby.”

“You are mistaken. The blacksmith is at least twenty minutes that way." She pointed back in the direction we had just come from.

“What? That can’t be right. Didn’t she say it was here?"

“Exactly! She definitely pointed this way.”

Leaving the confused Seo Ho-Su and Cole behind, I exchanged a look with Ha Hee-Jeong.

An angel capable of lying. She had to be the one.